Ukrainian troops patrol near the eastern Ukrainian city of Debaltseve in the Lugansk region on August 1, 2014. (AFP Photo / Genya Savilov ) / AFP

The European Union has “quietly” agreed to lift restrictions supplying Kiev with military technology and equipment which can be used for the “repression” in the country, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

"During a recent meeting of the Council of Europe in
Brussels, leaders of EU member states agreed 'on the quiet' to
remove restrictions on exports to Kiev of equipment that could be
used for internal repression," the ministry said in a
statement on its website. "Exports of military technologies
and equipment were also allowed."

Moscow slammed the move as "contradicting the rules of
military technologies and ammunition exports which have been
earlier applied by the EU" and also "pierced" by
double standards.

The EU approved its rules for controlling the export of weapons
and ammunition on December 8, 2008. Criterion #3 calls on the EU
member countries to stop issuing export licenses for military
equipment and technologies that can provoke or prolong conflict.

The decision to restart issuing licenses for special military
equipment exports came despite the continuing “anti-terrorist
operation” in eastern Ukraine, the ministry said.

“It is obvious why the EU is ignoring indisputable facts of
shelling of Russian territory [in the southwest Russian region of
Rostov] from the Ukrainian side: the perspective of feeling your
own involvement in such actions creates certain discomfort in
Brussels,” the statement said.

The ministry called upon its European counterparts “to follow
logic,” not the "prodding" from Washington.

“The decision to limit the supply of ammunition and weaponry
to Ukraine should have been introduced after the launch of the
so-called ‘anti-terrorist operation’ in the Donbas and Lugansk
Regions. It is not too late to restore the ban,” the
ministry said.

Donbas, a historical, economic and cultural part of eastern
Ukraine, includes the northern part of the Donetsk Region and the
south of the Lugansk region.

The restrictions were introduced by the EU Council in February
when Viktor Yanukovich was the country’s president and there was
a severe confrontation between Maidan protesters and police.

“Then the EU decided that it was ‘wrong’ to supply
‘Yanukovich regime’ with weapons,” Moscow pointed out.

The restrictions were first introduced by the European Council in
February 2014 when Viktor Yanukovich was the country’s president
and there were violent clashes between Maidan protesters and
police. “Then the EU decided that it was ‘wrong’ to supply
‘Yanukovich regime’ with weapons,” the ministry said.

Kiev’s so-called “anti-terrorist operation” in the
eastern regions of Ukraine has intensified lately. The most
recent crackdown was in the village of Gorlovka, in the Donetsk
Region. It resulted in 31 civilians being killed there.

According to UN figures, at least 1,129 people have been
killed and nearly 3,500 wounded in eastern Ukraine since the
start of the operation in April. Also, 100,000 people have been
forcibly displaced.

The UN report said that the cause of the rising death toll is
intensified artillery shelling of civilian residential areas and
so-called “collateral damage” in heavily-populated
areas.